Here are the countries that invested the most in the US last year — and China didn't make the top 10

SAUL LOEB | AFP | Getty Images. Spain and Ireland were among the top nations investing the most in the U.S. last year, according to data published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands were among the top nations investing the most in the United States as of last year, while China failed to crack the top 10, according to the latest figures published by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The data released by the department's Bureau of Economic Analysis showed the cumulative multi-billion dollar foreign direct investments (FDI) in the U.S. from leading economies around the world up to 2016. The U.K. ($598.3 billion) led the way, followed by Canada ($453.6 billion), Japan ($424.3 billion), and Germany ($372.8 billion). However, perhaps surprisingly, the world's second largest economy slumped just outside the 10 leading investors. China pumped $58.2 billion into America last year, almost five times less than Ireland ($279.6 billion). France ($267.6 billion), Switzerland ($196.6 billion), the Netherlands ($191.9 billion), Singapore ($73.7 billion) and Spain ($67.2 billion) completed the top 10 in America last year.

'America First' Last month, U.S. governors and mayors sought to reassure foreign companies that they remained welcome in the country despite President Donald Trump 's controversial "America First" rhetoric. In June, data from the Organization for International Investment showed FDI had more than held up under the Trump administration. The U.S. recorded $83.6 billion in new inflows for the first three months of 2017, up 62 percent when compared to the last quarter of 2016. Trump has championed high-profile investment announcements by companies such as Toyota (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 7203.T-JP) and Foxconn (Hong Kong Stock Exchange: 2038-HK) in recent weeks. The U.S. manufacturing sector continued to be the most prominent beneficiary of FDI last year, the data showed, amounting to 41 percent of the total investment from overseas. Meanwhile, nearly 20 percent of the FDI went in to the banking, finance and insurance business, with around 10 percent going in to wholesale trade.